Army denies role in DNCC mosquito control, waste management operations

The Bangladesh Army has rejected a claim by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) administrator that troops will be engaged in Aedes mosquito control activities in the city.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) said the military has no plans to participate in such activities and has not been informed of any such arrangement.

The clarification came after Colonel Md Shafiqul Islam made a similar remark at a press conference held by the Army on Monday.

The confusion stems from an earlier briefing held on Apr 22 at Nagar Bhaban, where DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz said the city corporation had moved away from using contractors to spray mosquito repellent.

Instead, he said, the army would now handle mosquito control.

Referring to that, the military's media wing said: “In recent media reports, the DNCC administrator mentioned that the army would be tasked with managing waste from Eid-ul-Azha sacrifices and controlling Aedes mosquitoes.

“For public awareness, it is clarified that the Bangladesh Army has no knowledge of such involvement and has no intention of engaging in this activity in the future.”

The ISPR added that the army remained committed to protecting national sovereignty and public security.

It also said such tasks--like mosquito control and waste management--were better suited to the relevant civil agencies.